India is playing with Fire by challenging China over Taiwan : Chinese Media

China’s official media today warned India against playing the ‘Taiwan card’, saying New Delhi will suffer losses by challenging Beijing over the sensitive issue.

The warning came after a Taiwanese women Parliamentary delegation visited India.

“By challenging China over the Taiwan question, India is playing with fire,” state-run Global Times said in an op-ed article titled ‘New Delhi will suffer losses if it plays Taiwan card’.

“At a time when new US President Donald Trump has put the brakes on challenging China over the Taiwan question, agreeing to change course and respecting the “one China” policy, India stands out as a provocateur,” the tabloid daily, which is a part of Communist Party of China’s publications, said.

“High-level visits between India and Taiwan are not very frequent, so why did India invite the Taiwan delegation to visit at this time?” the article asked referring to Taiwanese MPs delegation.

It is the first such visit since the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen administration took office, it said.

Tsai, who won on elections last year is a strong supporter of Taiwan’s independence from China.

“Some Indians view the Taiwan question as an Achilles’ Heel of the mainland. India has long wanted to use the Taiwan question, the South China Sea and Dalai Lama issues as bargaining chips in dealing with China,” the article said.

India may be looking to use the Taiwan card against China out of its suspicions with China specially over the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project with Pakistan, it said.

“With the advancement of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in recent years, India’s strategic suspicions about China have been growing,” it said.